With his $6,860 addition, Atta Boy Roy, a 2006 WTBOA Summer Yearling Sale graduate, became only the fifth Washington-bred to surpass $600,000 in career earnings with $602,276.
   Atta Boy Roy was retired to stud to Blue Ribbon Farm in Buckley after his 11th stakes placement,
   An eight-year-old ridgling bred by Patricia Murphy and Rick and Debbie Pabst, Atta Boy Roy compiled a 14-8-1 record in 36 starts, topped by a gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Handicap as a four-year-old.
   Karl Krieg's homebred Absolutely Cool, a six-year-old gelding by Absolute Harmony out of Coup de Foudre went over the $100,000 mark after adding $3,430 with his third place finish in the Swift.

   Also finishing third in a Turf Paradise stakes in early February was Mike Chambers, John Xitco and Dan Agnew's multiple stakes winner E Z Kitty. A 2009 WTBOA sale yearling, the five-year-old Washington-bred daughter of He's Tops-Envision the Cat finished less than a length behind winner Smarty B - ridden by Vicky Baze - in the about 1 1/16-mile turf stakes on February 2. E Z Kitty has earned $123,047.

   Also weighted at 111 was Positively, a Distorted Humor half-brother to two-time Washington leading sire Parker's Storm Cat.

   Dr. George Todaro's stakes-winning Zeewat, a son of Harlan's Holiday, was given a weight of 110. Also at 110 was Buckleberry Grey, a son of Unbridled's Song out of graded stakes winner Elusive Diva - a daughter of Washington broodmare of the year Taj Aire who was bred by John and Doris Konecny.

   Among the fillies, three are out of daughters of stallions who stood or stand in the Pacific Northwest. Power Lady, ranked at 103, is a daughter of Discreet Cat out of the Defensive Play mare Lady in Power. Grindstone has two maternal granddaughters on the list: the Flatter filly Flattermewithroses, ranked at 103; and Vitameta at 100. Another filly ranked with 103 pounds was Mr Hall's Opus, a daughter of Officer out of Emerald Downs stakes winner Sal de Oro. A daughter of Expelled, Sala de Oro was bred by Barbara Ratcliff's Coal Creek Farm and raced by David Mowat.

   The Experimental Free Handicap, published annually in late January by The Jockey Club since 1935, is compiled for a hypothetical race for two-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on dirt. To be eligible for weighting, a two-year-old must have finished in the top four in a graded or listed stakes race run in the continental United States. Listed stakes in 2012 were those with a value of $75,000 or more available to all starters, and no restrictions other than age or sex.
   Eclipse Award winners Shanghai Bobby, at 125, and Beholder, at 123, were the divisional leaders.
   The weighting committee of racing secretaries consists of Ben Huffman of Churchill Downs and Keeneland, P.J. Campo of the New York Racing Association and Thomas S. Robbins of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, who assign weights to eligible horses based on accomplishments during the two-year-old season.

OTBOA Launches PostTimes

E-newsletter

   In February, the Oregon Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association (OTBOA) launched their new e-mail newsletter PostTimes. For more information or if you would like to subscribe, contact Kelly O'Neill at Kelly@oregontoba.com.

Oregon Summer Fair Dates

   The dates for the 2013 Oregon Fair meet have been set. Union starts the ball rolling on June 7 and will run through June ( (three days). Grants Pass will run nine days, on a Saturday-Sunday schedule from June 15 through July 7 with the addition of a Fourth of July card. Prineville will run four days, July 10-13 followed by Tillamook's four-day run from August 7 to August 10. Harney County finishes the year with three days, September 6-8.

Additional WTBOA Sales Graduate in the News

Other News

   Horseplayers Racing Club LLC and partners had two winners on January 27. At Sam Houston Racetrack, My Honkytonk Angel, who is co-owned with Danny Pish, won a mile and 70 yard $10,000 maiden claiming race by four lengths. The Texas-bred daughter of Pulse Ranch stallion Preachinatthebar is out of the Hadif mare Mattie M. Horseplayers Racing Club LLC and Warlock Stables' Lord Vronsky, who they had claimed in his previous outing at Golden Gate Fields on January 13, won a $10,000 claimer at Santa Anita. The five-year-old California-bred son of Vronsky, who was trained by Vann Belvoir and ridden by Tyler Baze, was claimed out of the win.

In Memoriam